Tirupati: Sighting of a leopard on the second ghat road leading from Tirupati to Tirumala has led to fears among devotees on Wednesday.
Pilgrims travelling in a bus spotted the leopard crossing the ghat road. The wild animal’s picture has also been captured on the dash board camera of the vehicle.
The spotting has rekindled memories from last year. A boy suffered serious injuries after being attacked by the wild beast, while a girl child tragically lost her life due to a leopard attack.
Following that forest department and the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) trapped and relocated six leopards.
Following the latest sighting of the leopard, the TTD has imposed strict regulations. Children below the age of 15 years have been barred from the footpaths. Two-wheeler traffic on ghat roads has been restricted after 10 pm. Devotees have been advised to move in groups.
Forest officials tried to assuage fears of devotees. They say sighting of the wild cats is normal, given abundant availability of prey along the ghat roads and footpaths. They emphasised that there is no immediate threat, as the movement of leopards is restricted to the forest area. There is no indication of them trespassing onto the pedestrian routes.
